Sniffles
by Kate811
Summary: A cocky Alex nurses a stubborn Addison back to health. One-shot!


**Author's Note****: First of all, props to myself for getting up a one-shot AND updating my other story all on the same day. Twas a slow day at work! This was inspired by the fact that I was sick on my birthday. And I figured if I had to bring in my birthday sick, why not allow Addison and Alex to join in on the fun? Don't ya just love that kind of logic? Anyway, I just put up the next chapter for The View from Heaven (this story was very distracting, which is probably why it took me so long to get Chapter 3 up. That, and reviews were scarce! Reviews are needed, guys!) And A Marriage of Inconvenience is now completely and utterly done (with 98 reviews…I'd really like to see that one get up to 100. It's gonna bother me until it hits 100 because…it's right there! So go review, people!) Anyway, this takes place in Season 3, after Addison moves into the Archfield but before she and Alex started having cute moments. And this is basically the longest one-shot ever. Usually I picture one-shots to be like, 1,000 words or less. Oh well, so my one-shot's roughly the length of three or four one shots; I couldn't help myself! I just had to keep writing!**

**Also, all you Kate Walsh fans should watch her 21 episode stint on The Drew Carey Show. I spent like, a day and a half doing that (YouTube is a godsend!) and she is just the best. And she's precious in a fat suit!**

**K, go read and review now!**

* * *

**Sniffles**

Alex stomped into the lobby of the Archfield Hotel, pushed the elevator UP button five times to no avail, begrudgingly trudged up the twenty-two flights of stairs, made his way down the long hallway, and pounded furiously on Addison's door. Stressed, he rubbed at his temples and sighed. He had overslept and was late for rounds, making Bailey snap at him, and then his favorite coffee cart only had decaf left. _What kind of coffee cart runs out of regular coffee?_ Anyway, after his coffee fiasco the chief called him into his office. Alex figured he was going to get lectured on his attitude towards Doctor Montgomery, being that he hated the gynie squad and she insisted on keeping him as her intern, but it turned out that was not what the chief wanted.

No, what the chief wanted was to let Alex know that Doctor Montgomery hadn't shown up at work, she had missed some important messages, she was not answering her phone, and that he was making Alex go over to the Archfield Hotel to check on her. Alex tried to refuse, stating he was not Addison Forbes Montgomery's personal slave, but the chief was adamant and dismissed Alex from his office without a second glance.

Which is how Alex found himself standing outside Addison's hotel room angrily waiting for a response. He knocked again, even louder than the first time for good measure. When he still didn't receive an answer he groaned, frustrated by the turn his day had taken, and turned to walk away.

The door opened slowly and Alex turned around and was faced with a very miserable looking Addison Forbes Montgomery. Her hair was mussed from sleep, her face was flushed, her eyes were baggy, and her nose was a red as Rudolph's.

"Dude, are you drunk?" Alex smirked at the misfortune of his boss.

"I'm not drunk, I just don't feel—" Addison shook her head suddenly as a thought occurred to her, "Wait, what the hell are you doing here Karev?" she asked, her voice raspy-sounding, clearly from coughing.

"The chief sent me over. You didn't show up for work or call out, not very responsible of you." He smiled cockily and Addison would have rolled her eyes if her head didn't ache dreadfully.

She bit back all the mean comments she thought that would put the intern back in his place and instead asked, "What time is it?"

"Ten thirty." Alex replied.

"Oh," Addison sniffled, "I must have slept through my alarm. Tell the chief I'll be over in a half hour." She said hoarsely and proceeded to lapse into a coughing fit.

When the coughing subsided, Alex spoke. "No." He put it simply.

Addison looked at him incredulously. "No? Karev, in case you've forgotten, I'm your boss. You do as I say."

"You're sick. You need to go back to bed." Alex said forcibly.

"I'm not sick. I just don't feel good." Addison said stubbornly.

Alex shook his head. "That's basically the same thing. Come here." He placed his hand on her forehead.

"What the hell are you doing?" She tried to step back but he held on to her.

"Did you hit your head this morning while you were busy coughing up a lung? I'm checking to see if you have a fever, which, by the way, you do. You're burning up." He removed his offending hand and looked at his boss smugly.

"I am?" Addison placed her hand on her forehead. "No, that can't be. I'm fine."

"Do you have a thermometer so I can once again show you how right I am?" He said haughtily and Addison wanted to smack him right then and there. But she refrained, because she was classy. And a lady. She was a classy lady who did not deck her interns.

"I don't have a thermometer. I don't have much of anything. I don't get sick." She turned back into her room and slipped on a pair of shoes and grabbed her purse.

"What are you doing?" Alex looked at her confusedly.

"I'm going to the drug store. Since _you_ won't let me go to work since you _claim_ I have a fever, I should go get medicine. I'll pick up a thermometer while I'm at it."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Go back to bed. I'll get your stuff for you."

"You don't have to do that." Addison shook her head.

But Alex had that look in his eye, the one Addison had come to hate. She called it his look of defiance. It was the look he always gave her when he wasn't going to listen to her: when he was about to mouth off to a patient even though she told him time and time again that he couldn't do that, when he was going to go to try to get off her service, even though that was something else she told him he couldn't do until she said so.

"Doctor Montgomery, you're sick. I will go get the things you need. Just go back to bed. I don't want to be responsible for you wondering the streets of Seattle and passing out from your high fever. I don't want to get fired. So get back in bed." He said through clenched teeth.

Normally Addison would have fought back, but she didn't have the strength. Her bed looked warm and inviting and she felt like death, so if he was going to be nice for a change, so be it.

"Thanks, Karev."

"Yeah, yeah, thank me when I get back here and set to work on curing you." He flashed her a cocky grin and she rolled her eyes and shut the door in his face.

* * *

"Aha! 101.6! You have a fever!" Alex shouted triumphantly as he read the numbers off the thermometer.

"That can mean anything. I could just be stressed, or worn down. I'm not sick." She jutted out her chin stubbornly.

Alex rubbed his hand over his face, frustrated by his patient's refusal to cooperate. "You're so stubborn. Why can't you just admit that the great Addison Forbes Montgomery gets sick just like everyone else?"

"Because I feel fine. I am not sick." But the sneezing and coughing fit that overtook her begged to differ. True, Addison knew she felt like crap, but since Alex pointed it out she had to disagree. It was childish, but she was in the mood to be childish.

"Doctor Montgomery, you have a fever. You're congested, achy, and you have swollen glands and a productive cough. It is my astute diagnosis that you, my dear, have a nasty case of influenza."

Addison dismissed his verdict with a wave of her hand. "Don't be ridiculous. I don't have the flu. I have an immune system made of steel! It's just a case of the sniffles, is all."

"The sniffles?" Alex burst out laughing. "Did they teach you that term in medical school?"

Addison groaned to herself. She knew she walked right into that one. "Shut up, Karev. It's just a mild cold."

"Well even if it is just a 'mild cold' you should still take the meds, just to be safe." He pointed to the table which held a vast display of a colorful assortment of medications.

"There's enough meds there to knock out a small country. I am not taking all those. You're probably trying to off me so you can get off my service and go back to plastics." She looked at him accusingly.

Alex ignored her protests and started laying out the medication for her to take. "Don't be a baby. It's just cough syrup, a decongestant, and a fever reducer."

Even though Alex was a doctor and Addison trusted him to do his job accurately, she still read the labels on the various bottles. When she was satisfied that he wasn't trying to kill her, she swallowed the pills with the aid of some orange juice he had thoughtfully bought for her.

"One more." Alex held up a spoon that held the liquid cough syrup.

"I don't want it. Cough syrup is gross." Addison shook her head vigorously.

"Oh come on. It's grape flavored. You like grape." He prodded.

"How do you know I like grape?" She looked at him curiously.

"You keep grape flavored lollipops in a jar on your desk in your office." Alex answered and Addison's eyes widened.

"Oh, right." She was shocked he paid that much attention.

"Yeah, so, take the medicine." He nudged the spoon in her face.

Addison dodged the spoon and miraculously all the liquid still stayed in place. "I told you, I don't want it."

"And I told you, it doesn't taste bad! Smell it if you want." He offered her the spoon.

Addison shook her head. "No, even if I could smell it, it's not that it's gonna taste bad. It's just…cough syrup...well, it makes me...loopy."

"Loopy?" Alex grinned.

"Yes, loopy." Addison said with a solemn expression on her face.

"This I gotta see." Alex nudged the spoon at her lips.

"No, I'll get all weird and drunk-like!" Addison protested but then surrendered to another coughing fit.

"Addison." His use of her first name would normally have annoyed Addison, but he did go to the drug store for her and he was taking good care of her, so she let it slide. "It is a miracle I haven't spilled this stuff yet. And you sound like crap. So please, take the medicine. It will help. Even if it makes you…loopy." He chuckled at the word.

Addison eyed the purple stuff in the spoon with contempt, but she did feel lousy, and the doctor in her knew that she'd feel much better once she swallowed the medicine.

"Oh, fine." she sighed and let Alex feed her the syrup.

"Good girl." Alex smiled patronizingly at her.

"Okay, you've done your good deed for the day. You can go back to work now. Off you go!" Addison waved goodbye to her intern as she climbed into bed.

"Like hell I'm leaving you alone." Alex plopped down at the edge of the bed right next to Addison's feet and she fought the urge to kick him.

"Like hell you're staying." She countered.

"Hey, I took an oath to save lives. You have a fever. I'm staying until you are better. Plus you assigned me the job of being your intern until you say otherwise, so since you won't let me work with anyone else, my ass is yours till you are healed."

Of course he threw her words back in her face. Of course. "You are the most infuriating man I have ever encountered." She groaned.

Alex cackled. "That's the spirit, Addie!"

This time she did kick him. Softly. But it was a kick, nonetheless. "Don't call me Addie."

"Certainly….Addie." He said it again just to be a pain in the ass.

"I loathe you. I really, really loathe you." She bit out through clenched teeth.

"Oh, is that the way to treat the man who went out of his way to get you medication and nurse you back to health?" He smiled sweetly and batted his eyelashes at her.

"You disgust me, you…you…disgusting….man." She fluffed up her pillows, plopped her head back down, and crossed her arms in a huff.

"Good one." Alex crawled over to Addison's side and fluffed up the extra pillows so he, too, could lay down. He mimicked her pose by crossing his arms.

"What do you think you're doing?" She raised an eyebrow at his position on the bed.

"I'm relaxing. This place is pretty cushy, and hey, if it's getting me out of work for the day, I'm gonna enjoy it." He reached across her and grabbed the remote, switching the television to a rather appalling episode of Jerry Springer.

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" He grinned as he took in the trashy women tearing at each others' hair and clothing.

" 'When Sisters Explode.' Just what I was hoping to watch on my day off." She muttered sarcastically.

Alex winked at her. "Come on, _Addie_, this is good stuff. When the older sister goes to work, the younger sister comes over and sleeps with her husband."

"How tasteful." She deadpanned, but soon found herself getting sucked into the drama. "Wait a minute...the younger sister's only there on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays? Who's the husband sleeping with on Tuesdays and Thursdays?"

Alex and Addison watched with mixed horror and amusement as the curtain opened to reveal the girls' mother.

"Holy crap! Her husband is sleeping with her sister and her mother! This show is abysmal." Addison laughed at the antics of the television show.

Alex joined in on her laughter. "Admit it though, it's pretty hilarious. It's my day-off guilty pleasure."

"I can see why. It draws you in!" She could barely tear her eyes away from the eyesore of a show.

Suddenly Addison let out a huge yawn.

"Medicine kicking in?" Alex guessed.

"Uh huh." She murmured as she settled down further on the bed.

"I'll let you rest." Alex sat up but Addison tugged at his hand.

"Can you just stay here, until I fall asleep?" She looked up at him with pleading, heavily-medicated eyes and Alex couldn't resist. She was cute when she was innocent.

"Sure." Alex relaxed next to her.

"Thank you for taking care of me." She snuggled close to him.

"No problem." Alex placed his arm around her. '_To make her more comfortable_,' he claimed inwardly.

"You know, yoooou can be sssweet when yooou're not being an asssshole." Addison slurred drowsily.

Alex chuckled. "Thanks, I guess."

"And you're handsome." She gave him a disarming smile.

Alex couldn't help but smile back. "Thank you. You're not so bad yourself."

Addison frowned. "You're just saying that because I'm your boss and I'm sick and delirious."

"No I'm not. You're…um, you're beautiful, Doctor Montgomery. And I mean it." He said sincerely, but also hoped to himself that the medicine would leave no recollection of this conversation.

"Thank you, Karev." She whispered tiredly.

"Get some sleep, Addie." He placed a gentle kiss to her forehead, so gentle she probably didn't even notice.

Addison closed her eyes and smiled. "You know, Karev…sometimes...when you piss me off…it just makes me like you more."

"Really?" He asked, stunned by her confession. Until pretty much that moment, Alex was almost positive that Addison would have thrown a parade in the unlikely event of his death.

She didn't answer. Alex peeked around to check on her and sighed. She had fallen asleep. _Damn_, just as he was about to get some valuable information out of her!

He softly released her from his arms and tucked the covers securely around her. "Goodnight, Addison."

* * *

Sometime later, Addison awoke to the smell of something delicious.

"Oh good, you're awake." Alex called from his spot on the sofa.

"How long was I out for?" She groggily rubbed at her eyes.

Alex checked his watch. "Almost three hours."

"Karev, you didn't have to wait for me to wake up. You could have taken off."

Alex looked at her incredulously. "After all the medication I made you take? Are you crazy? I had to make sure I didn't put you in a coma! Plus, I didn't stay. I got soup."

"You got soup?" Addison perked up immensely.

"I got soup." He vacated his spot on the couch and instantly was at her side with a tray holding chicken noodle soup, orange juice, and crackers.

Addison looked at the tray shocked by his actions. "You arranged it on a tray for me?"

"I arranged it on a tray for you."

"Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'? You're sick, and chicken noodle soup is scientifically proven to be good for you when you're sick. And you need to stay in bed, so I put it on a tray." Alex shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, not noticing Addison's look of utter bewilderment at the fact that this intern, a man who didn't even really like her, was now nursing her back to health and thoughtfully arranging soup on a tray for her.

When Addison finally found her voice again, she muttered a shaky "Thanks" and set to work on devouring her soup.

"So um, you were right about that cough syrup. You were _loopy_ as hell." Alex said trying to be nonchalant but the huge, knowing grin on his face said otherwise.

Addison almost spit out her drink. "What? Why? What did I do? What did I say?" The words flew out of her mouth a mile a minute.

"Oh nothing much…" Alex grinned knowingly, "Just that you think I'm handsome and secretly like it when I piss you off."

"I said no such thing!" Addison scoffed indignantly.

"You said such things!" Alex laughed and Addison rolled her eyes.

"Great. You're probably going to use that to your advantage every chance you get." She flung her head back down on the pillow.

"I'll admit it crossed my mind, blackmailing you to get you to let me off your services…" Alex started.

"And?" Addison lifted her head up to look at him.

"And, I decided I shouldn't mess with a woman who says my ass is hers till she says otherwise. Said woman could probably kick my aforementioned ass." Alex winked at her.

"Said woman WOULD kick your aforementioned ass!" Addison quipped and the two shared a laugh.

Suddenly, Alex's watch started beeping. "Oh, time to take more medicine!"

"Great." Addison said, her voice void of enthusiasm.

Alex set out the pills for her and held the spoonful of cough syrup up for her. She took all the medicine without putting up a fight.

"Wow, not even one comment about how I'm trying to overdose you! Have I tamed the untamable?" Alex said jokingly.

"It's making me feel better. Plus I'm all drowsy and riddled with fever. Don't get used to it!" She faux scolded him and he chuckled.

"Are you ready to admit that I was right and you do have the flu?" He goaded.

"I may take your medicine and watch trashy daytime television with you, but the day I admit you're right about something is the day pigs fly." She said stubbornly but the smile she threw his way let him know she wasn't being serious.

The two lapsed into comfortable silence as Alex found another riveting talk show to entertain them. When the show was over, a rather compelling one about a forty-year-old mother of five dating her oldest daughter's ex boyfriend, Addison sat up and turned the TV off.

"I'm just going to sleep for the rest of the day probably, and I hate keeping you here all day with me."

Alex pouted jokingly. "You kicking me out, Addie?"

"No! No, I'm just not going to be the best company today and I can manage by myself. And you really should probably get to the hospital at some point today." She explained.

"So I am off your services for the rest of the day?" He asked.

"Yep, I don't want to hear of you so much as looking at a small, defenseless baby today! Go assist in some breast implants or in removing a brain tumor today! Your ass is officially not mine for the rest of today!" She scolded him trying to sound serious but couldn't help breaking out into laughter.

Alex joined in on her contagious laughter. "Yes, ma'am!"

They stood up and she walked him over to her hotel door. "Now remember," Alex directed, "Take more medicine in about four hours or so. And if your fever spikes, you give me a call, okay?"

"Yes, Doctor Karev." She nodded her consent.

"Okay, and you'll go right back to bed after I leave? You promise?" He looked at her worriedly.

"I promise. And for someone who doesn't like to interact with their patients, you're sure hovering over me." She jibed.

Addison swore she saw a faint hint of a blush grace Alex's features. "Well, I … uh, you're different from other patients."

"Yeah? How so?" She prodded.

"Well, you let me watch Jerry Springer. And you called me handsome." He grinned.

"I'm still not sure if I believe you on that." She gave him a suspicious glare.

Alex chuckled and noticed Addison fighting back a yawn. "You should get back to bed. You need rest."

"Yeah, you're ri- You're not wrong." She quickly corrected herself.

They shared a smile. "Well, um, goodnight…Addie."

Addison rolled her eyes. "Goodnight, Karev. Thanks for taking care of me today."

She held her hand out for him to shake, and the moment he took her hand in his, a jolt of electricity shot through them both.

Startled, Addison's eyes darted up to meet Alex's. "I, um…" Her mouth felt very dry, and not just because of her swollen glands.

As if by sheer magnetism, the two found themselves drifting closer and closer to one another. Their lips were a mere centimeter apart when suddenly, Alex pulled away.

"I … I should go." He backed away towards the door.

"Yeah." Addison nodded.

"Yeah. Um…" He paused, unsure of what to say next. "Um, bye, Doctor Montgomery!"

And with those parting words, he made a fast exit out the door.

Addison sighed. She had no idea what the hell had just happened, but she was confused as anything. She plopped down onto her bed and attempted to go to sleep, but thoughts of her day consumed her.

He had been so nice to her, which was shocking enough. He'd never been nice to her and in fact did anything he could to make her hate him enough to drop him from her services. He bought her medicine, forced her to take it, kept her company, and even got her lunch. Could he actually care for her? Could that whole "being an asshole at work" thing have just been an act?

Addison shook her head. He was probably just being nice to her because she was sick. Or maybe he thought he'd try the "kill 'em with kindness" tactic to try to win her affections so she'd let him off her services. Either way, tomorrow things would go back to normal. She'd be purposely bossy and sarcastic towards him and he would mouth off and mutter things under his breath about her.

"Normal," She muttered as she finally drifted off to sleep, "Tomorrow things will be normal again."

* * *

The next morning, a loud knock on the door startled Addison out of her sleep. She frowned. 'Who the hell could that be?' She had woken up that morning still feeling under the weather, but this time she had made sure to call out of work so Richard wouldn't send out another search party in the form of an infuriating intern to look for her.

Begrudgingly, she got out of her warm bed, walked over to the door, and peeped through the peephole, shocked by who awaited her on the other side.

"Karev, I already called out of work so I don't understand what the hell you're-" She started as she opened the door, but promptly shut her mouth.

For Alex Karev was flushed with fever, shaking from chills, hacking up a lung, and wiping furiously at his nose with a tissue.

"I caught your sniffles." He groaned miserably.

"And you came here because…?" She asked confusedly.

"You have medicine and tissues and orange juice. All of which I bought. And I am living on an intern's salary, so please don't make me go buy more?" He looked at her pathetically.

Addison sighed. "Fine, come in."

He followed her into the room and sat down on her bed while Addison went to get the medicine. She returned with the various pill bottles, two spoons, and the dreaded cough syrup.

Silently, they swallowed the pills.

"Okay, time for cough syrup." Addison stated as she picked up the bottle and spoons.

"I don't want any." Alex shook his head stubbornly.

Addison rolled her eyes. "Oh don't be a baby. It's grape. You like grape."

"How'd you know I like grape?" Alex looked at her confusedly.

"My jar of grape flavored lollipops always looks a little less full after you've stopped by my office." Addison explained.

"Oh yeah." Alex nodded.

"So, um, take the medicine. If you're gonna force me into taking it, I am going to reciprocate the favor. Plus I was just about to take some before you got here, and you can join me on the fun." She went to open the bottle when suddenly, Alex grabbed her hand.

"What?" She looked at him confusedly.

Alex didn't say anything. Instead he pulled her down on his lap and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"I wanted to do that before the medicine made me loopy." He explained, a big smile lighting up his sickly features.

Addison couldn't help but beam back at him. "Great, now I'm going to get sick again!"

"You and I both know your immune system doesn't work that way." Alex chided.

"Oh, fine." She jokingly rolled her eyes and he leaned in for another kiss.

"I…uh, medicine!" She quickly retrieved the bottle and spoons.

She poured the liquid into both their spoons and handed him his.

"Well, cheers!" Alex clinked his spoon with hers.

"Wait!" Addison stopped him.

"What?" He asked.

She leaned in and planted another kiss on his lips, this one a little more passionate than the last. "Before I go loopy, too."

Alex smiled as they both got into her bed and she instinctively curled up against him.

"Goodnight, Addie." He used her nickname again in an attempt to get under her skin once more.

This time Addison did not roll her eyes or throw a pillow at him or kick him. This time she merely smiled as she closed her eyes.

"Goodnight, Karev."

The two drifted off to sleep happily. There would be no grand declarations of love for them that day. Instead, simply sharing a bottle of cough syrup and watching bad TV would be enough to solidify their relationship for now.

And that was just fine with both of them.

* * *

**The End!**

**So don't just sit there! Go review! Hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! **


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